About Me

11/13/10

You Just Had to Punch that Gift Horse, huh?

I know, I know...my Video Blog goes off on a tangent. I'll reel it in someday...or not...lol;

There is a hysterical scene in Anchorman between Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate. She is the new sexy woman at the News Station and Will Ferrell who is the Top Anchorman in the city feels it’s his duty to go introduce himself.

Ron Burgundy: I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal.

Veronica Corningstone: Really.

Ron Burgundy: People know me.

Veronica Corningstone: Well, I'm very happy for you.

Ron Burgundy: Um, I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books, and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

When you watch it, you laugh at how over-the-top it is. Nobody ACTUALLY talks that way, right?

Yeah I didn’t think so for a long time either.

You would think I would be referring to the big Hollywood actors, but I’m not. The real-life people I have met are the ones who think they are bigger than they really are. I would like to think most people who are accomplished don’t talk that way.

Many people have worked very hard to get to the top of their field and I have a healthy respect for them, but I never want to hear from them how good they are. Some of them get there all by their lonesome without the help of others. How fun is that, right? ‘YAY! I am standing at the top by myself, screw everyone else!’

Most of my experience with ego is in the entertainment industry. Some ego is good to be able to get up on stage and put out a daring unapologetic performance. That is healthy confidence so you can deliver to the audience. Then there is the ego which is plain arrogance where you have a sense of entitlement and you don’t believe in being a team player. These people almost always screw themselves. The music industry is especially small and interwoven. It’s the most stupid thing you can do these days to pull ego or act entitled. Not even the top dogs in the industry can get away with it. If Ellen Degeneres all of a sudden started acting all entitled and bigheaded, her audience would reject her. Nobody wants to see that kind of thing. It’s almost impossible for me to personal connect with an artist, entertainer, writer or musician who is constantly looking out for number one.

Looking out for number one is something we were taught as children, but the flaw in it is the child has the potential of ONLY looking out for themselves, which in this industry does not bode well.

Once again, this week I saw another classic case of someone punching a gift horse straight in the center of its mouth based on their ego and consequently burned the bridge with the entire team who was trying to give him an opportunity. It seems like the kind of dialog that should have been left back in the 70s like the Anchorman movie dialog. Unbelievable, but it really happened.

We are truly living in times where community is the best thing to happen to an artist but the old-school industry mentality is still hanging on by threads.

A sense of entitlement or arrogant behavior doesn’t seem to be limited to ego-driven jobs like in the Arts. People find it in their work place where someone who is somewhere between them and the boss is acting like the know-it-all. It’s tough to deal with because it not only makes you uncomfortable, but it makes a heavy cramp in the workplace. People who feel like they have received the raw end of the stick for their life can feel entitled. People with poor self-esteem can feel entitled. People who haven’t interacted with people enough feel that way. I would see some people from my small town walk into a big recording studio and stick their foot right in their mouth because they thought by acting like they knew more than they did, or by pumping air into their own bicep via their thumb, they could gain the admiration and attention of everyone around them.

The truth of the matter is that if this person would have been more grateful for the opportunities he was given and would have just slotted himself into the team mentality, he would have grown with everyone. Being a good listener goes farther than talking too much. Bullying a group meeting and conference call to try and get people to notice you or pulling ‘prima donna’ moves isn’t going to impress and you most likely will shove yourself back down the ladder you so desperately are trying to topple. On top of that, sabotaging the efforts of the team just puts you on the no-call list. That is really said when it reaches that.

‘I think’, ‘I feel’ and ‘I believe’ goes a long way. There is nothing wrong with talking about your feelings without dominating a group… with the things you consider facts.

Here’s my opinion on the ladder. There’s not one ladder. There is a majestic staircase with enough room for us to all walk hand in hand to reach our goals as a team. People who are still trying to look out for number one are not only going to sit miserably by themselves, but they will miss the opportunity to be part of community who is willing to help them and love them. It doesn’t have to be lonely at the top. We should all be able to heal, grow and excel…but I think it’s better to do it as a team.

Of course, this is just a bunch of junk that I think, feel and believe. ;)

I am always sad when one person makes the decision to play outside the team. It bothers me as I want everyone to be able to play but I also know when to allow controlling people to go their way.

Going to see if the horse is ok,

Karen :)

“If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.” ~Dalai Lama